Mercer, Auglaize officials
say more getting flu shots
By JANIE SOUTHARD
jsouthard@dailystandard.com
A local shortage of the flu vaccine is possible, but Mercer
and Auglaize county health departments don’t seem overly
concerned.
Officials from the Ohio Department of Health this morning said
they already have distributed the majority of the department’s
public supply. On Friday, the makers of the flu shots in the
United States reported they have run out of the vaccine and
will not be able to meet the surge in demand this year.
“Last week we gave 287 vaccines and, as of this morning,
we have 380 doses left. We will reorder, but I can’t say
right now how much will be available from the (Ohio Department
of Health),” Deb Scheer, spokesperson for the Auglaize
County agency, told The Daily Standard this morning.
The Auglaize County Health Department reported 30 cases of the
flu as of last Friday morning. Scheer said that number could
have increased significantly during the past weekend.
Mercer County Health Department’s Sara Beiler did not
have the current number of confirmed cases available.
Beiler and Scheer agreed they are seeing more children and whole
families coming in for the shots.
“We have reordered more than 200 doses, which we expect
by Thursday,” Beiler said this morning via telephone.
“I don’t want to say exactly how many we ordered,
but we hope there’s no shortage.”
The recent deaths of six children in Colorado have parents nationwide
getting shots for their children. Plus, this is the first year
the Ohio Department of Health has promoted vaccination of children.
The Mercer County Health Department holds walk-in clinics on
Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and by appointment on other
weekdays. Flu shots are $10 each and can be given to anyone
6 months old and older.
Auglaize County Health Department gives shots on a walk-in basis
every weekday from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $16
per shot and shots are also available for people 6 months old
and older.
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